Resident Evil: A Lonely Place
by Katherine Carbon
Summary: A little girl teams up with an adolesecent boy to get out of the evil throes of Racoon City. Please R&R! More coming soon.
1. Nowhere To Run

The first thing that Rachelle Martin saw when she woke up was darkness. She didn't remember much about the past twenty-four hours, but she did remember hiding underneath a bed to evade the monsters. She turned on her Minnie Mouse flashlight and peered out into the bedroom. No one was around. Her mother had died when she was young, and her father had gotten eaten by one of the ugly, deformed monsters. Rachelle was all alone now.  
  
The small 7-year-old climbed out from under the bed. The window was broken in her bedroom, but she didn't remember why. Could it have been a monster? Rachelle didn't know. All she really wanted was to get out of this house, out of this town. She knew that the monsters were everywhere now. Her daddy had probably become one of them.  
  
Unbeknownst to Rachelle, she was trapped in a zombie city. Many strange things had been happening recently. Skinless dogs had been terrorizing the city and strange monsters had been attacking the residents. Most people just passed this off as a publicity stunt, or joke of some sorts. Rachelle's father seemed to be the only one who took these sorts of things seriously. Rachelle's father, Dave, had worked for the Umbrella Corporation. He knew about their secret goings-on's. Dave had told Rachelle that if she sees any of those monsters, to run away as fast as she could. Dave, himself, could not even fulfill that order. He had gotten trapped in the kitchen of his own home, and eaten, until he was zombiefied.  
  
Rachelle looked around the room. Everything seemed normal, except for the broken window, and the dead monster lying in a pool of blood on the ground. She grabbed her baseball bat, and moved into the living room. She checked around for money, food, or clothes. She wasn't sure how long she had been hiding, but she didn't like all of this sticky blood on her new jumper, and she was getting quite hungry. Rachelle managed to find a box of cereal in the kitchen cupboard, which she ate dry. Rachelle was lactose intolerant, and she remembered that they were all out of soy milk.  
  
Rachelle moved outside. She was very quiet, and careful not to be seen by anything living—or dead. Her daddy had told her that if she were to be caught by any of those creatures, something very bad would happen to her. Rachelle, like most humans, had never liked pain.  
  
Suddenly, Rachelle heard something behind her. It was a horrible groaning noise that she had only heard when a monster was nearby. She turned around, and lo and behold, there was a pale, bleeding figure in front of her. The monster was a woman this time—whom had once been blonde and beautiful. Now, she was horribly wounded—with a gunshot wound to the leg, and bite marks all over her petite body. To top it all off, she was beginning to rot and decay, as they all did. Rachelle almost cried when she looked at this abomination of God… wondering whether to run away, or to hit in the head with her baseball bat. She was scared, and, she decided to run away. 


	2. Partners

Tyler Andrews knew that he couldn't run forever, either. He had been sitting alone in an apartment complex for the past 48 hours, shooting any undead that came near him with his trusty shotgun. At the moment, though, he was taking a break. Tyler sat in the shadows, puffing on a cigarette. What the Hell is going on with this city? Not everyone in it can be dead. I know there's got to be someone out there, he thought to himself, sitting in the gloomy dark.  
  
Tyler sighed, and flicked his cigarette. There must have been some way to get out of here, but how? Tyler didn't know what that way is, and didn't care, as long as he could get out of there. Raccoon City had gone from a great place to live, with a wonderful atmosphere, to a deserted zombie-town, taken over by Umbrella. Tyler's own parents had worked for Umbrella. How could they have been so stupid? Then again, a great deal of the city people worked for Umbrella. Maybe it was just because they paid well, or just because of the free insurance. Somehow, Tyler believed that the people working at Umbrella had known about this disaster.  
  
Tyler stood up. It was time to get a move on. He couldn't stay in the apartment building forever. He was beginning to get sick from the smell, alone. The old, run-down apartment building smelled of dead bodies, blood, and rotten garbage. Even when Tyler made his way through the dead bodies and out to the street, all he could smell was blood, and the promise of more rotting bodies. He made his way up a couple of blocks when he saw a trio of zombie cops making their way toward him.  
  
Now, he hadn't liked cops before this whole incident, but now, he just despised them even more. Tyler was an excellent shot. He took his shotgun, and loaded it. Damn, these ugly bastards are slow, he thought to himself, shooting the first in the head. The second time, he was a little off aim, and shot the second dead policeman in the cheek. He aimed again, and hit the brain. The third policeman was no trouble for Tyler. He made his way past the twitching bodies, and ran into a small girl. At first, he jumped back, thinking it was another zombie. But it wasn't. She was a cute little girl, with red curls and big green eyes. Her clothes had a bit of blood on them, and she looked scared. Tyler offered her a hand, trying to smile.  
  
"What's your name, kid?" He said, kneeling down.  
  
"…I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, but since you're alive, I guess it's okay. I'm Rachelle."  
  
"I'm Tyler. Where are your parents?"  
  
"Gone. My momma died when I was a little girl, and my daddy got eaten by one of those… monsters."  
  
Tyler frowned. Shit. This kid had no one else, and neither did he. He guessed that he should have been happy that he found someone else who was alive, but he couldn't have a 7-year-old to slow him down.  
  
"Rachelle, will you help me?"  
  
"Help you with what?"  
  
"Help me get out of here. For you to help me, I need you to be really quiet, and really good for me, okay?"  
  
Rachelle nodded. She knew all about being a good girl. She was hardly ever in trouble with her teachers, or her daddy. And, as far as being quiet, Rachelle was the quietest kid in Mrs. Valentine's third grade class.  
  
"You must be one Hell—heck of a brave little girl. You and me, kid, we're going to get out of here." Tyler would try not to let anything happen to this kid—or to himself, for that matter. He hadn't got a scratch, or a bite yet, and apparently, neither had this kid. He looked her over, and nodded to himself. She was a little kid, and she could probably run fast, climb around, do those kinds of things that almost every little kid is able to do. He smiled at her softly, and then took her hand, standing up.  
  
"Okay. We probably shouldn't stand around here much longer… those bas—bad things will come for us."  
  
And with that, they were off. They ventured into a long, hard journey, which would end up where it all started. 


	3. In Search

Tyler and Rachelle set out on the wild streets of Raccoon City. They didn't have to kill very zombies on the way, thankfully. It seemed as though there was someone else out there, too. Tyler immediately hoped that somebody else was out there, and that they were living—not dead, as so many of the patrons of this community were now. Rachelle didn't care whether there was someone else or not. All she cared about was getting out of that evil place. Rachelle was very good and quiet like Tyler had told her to be. She never said a word, or stopped to examine anything. She just kept moving, unless Tyler stopped.  
  
The two came to a huge intersection. There were crashed cars everywhere, with dead bodies inside. Tyler instinctively picked Rachelle up, and asked her to cover her eyes. Of course, Tyler was pretty sure that Rachelle had grown accustomed to seeing dead people over the past few days. He knew that he had.  
  
"Okay, Rachelle. We're going to try to move through here without anything stopping us. I need you to be extra quiet. You never know when one of those monster things is going to pop out next. Okay?"  
  
Rachelle just nodded, putting a thumb in her mouth. Of course she was afraid. Why wouldn't she be? Everyone that she knew was either dead, or soon to be. Tyler began moving, and Rachelle closed off her train of thought. Tyler moved through the series of burning, wrecked cars and dead people, hoping not to get caught by something that wanted to eat his brains. Tyler successfully managed to wander through the crowded intersection without getting bitten or scratched.  
  
After they were back in the alley, Rachelle was set down on the ground. She looked up at Tyler, grabbing his hand. "Tyler? Do you think that there are other places like this? With monsters?"  
  
"I really don't know, Rachelle. There could be." Rachelle seemed to think about this for a moment. As they walked down the back alley of a bar, Tyler spotted something moving. It was only a rat. He sighed, relieved. He kept walking as Rachelle began rattling off another question to him.  
  
"Why is this happening, Tyler?"  
  
"I don't know, Rachelle. Something strange is going on around here, though. All these skinless dogs and decaying zombies…"  
  
"What are zombies, Tyler?"  
  
"You know, the monsters that keep chasing us."  
  
"Oh. Tyler, do you think that we'll get out of here?" With that question, Tyler stopped dead in his tracks (no pun intended). He looked down at Rachelle, clearing his throat. He didn't have an answer to that question. He didn't even think that God had the answer to that question—if there was a God. Tyler kneeled down, looking at Rachelle eye-level.  
  
"You and I are certainly going to try, Rachelle. Just stick with me, and everything will be okay." Rachelle just nodded, and the two padded on. Raccoon City was a large place, and right then, it seemed as though the city limits would never end. It seemed like days, but it had only been hours, that they had been wandering these streets. Rachelle was getting cranky, and so was Tyler. He lit up a cigarette, sighing. They stopped for a short break. Tyler looked up above the building they were standing next to. He could vaguely see the top of the Umbrella building. Right then, he knew exactly where they had to go. If any survivors, or police would be around, they would be there, investigating.  
  
"Tyler, smoking is bad for you."  
  
"Rachelle, I don't really give a damn right now."  
  
"Tyler, you said damn."  
  
"And so did you. Now, let's go." Tyler butted the cigarette, running his fingers through his shaggy brown hair. He was a skinny, but stealth kid. If it weren't for his smoking habit, he could have been an all-star on the track team. He took Rachelle's hand, and began heading to the Umbrella building. 


	4. Candy Bars and Zombies

Tyler grabbed Rachelle's hand, and set off to the Umbrella building. If there was one thing in his life that he was determined about, it was getting to that Umbrella building, and trying to find someone who could help. When he got back on the main streets, he noticed how badly the city had succumbed to chaos. Everything was in shambles. Things were set on fire, roadblocks had been knocked down, and there were police cars and fire trucks all over with no policemen or firemen. They were all dead, of course, just like most of the citizens of Raccoon City. Tyler was almost sure that he knew there wouldn't be any survivors once they got into the building. But, he just wanted some answers, now. Why the Hell had those chose Raccoon City of all places to do this at? The people of Raccoon City did not deserve this unholy punishment.  
  
Rachelle also wondered why this was happening to the citizens of Raccoon City. Why would anyone want to hurt us? She thought to herself, as she and Tyler approached the huge, towering building. Apparently, the town had spent their precious time and money making this building. It had 17 stories to be exact, and the best (and most expensive) marble and granite that Tyler had ever seen. Tyler's mother had often bounced from job to job, and Tyler had seen his share of architecture… this was the most magnificent, prolific building that he had ever laid eyes on. Unfortunately, everything was in ruins. Windows were broken, the granite and marble were smashed… it looked as though something had taken its toll on this building. Something, Tyler thought to himself, and not an act of nature…  
  
It was easy to get into the building. The security guards were dead, and the doors were broken. Tyler had to ask himself what in the Hell had caused so much damage to this place. He secretly wondered if the Umbrella Corporation, among their other atrocities, were also responsible for creating some Godzilla-like creature, with the ability to destroy whatever came within it's deadly reaches. Tyler snorted at the idea. He noticed Rachelle out of the corner of his eye, looking into the building fearfully. He knelt down, looking her in the eyes. "Rachelle… everything's going to be alright. I won't let anything happen to you, okay?" All Rachelle did was nod. Tyler led her inside the broken doors, avoiding the glass and rubble on the ground. Everything was dark. The only thing that provided light was Rachelle's Minnie Mouse flashlight. Thank God for Disney, Tyler thought to himself. There were no monsters, yet. Tyler was thankful for that, and he was sure that Rachelle was, too.  
  
Tyler looked around. To the left, there was a sign that said "Restrooms, Snack Machines, and Cafeteria". To the right, there was a stairwell. What to do, what to do. He hadn't eaten at all in a few days, which was not abnormal for him. Usually, he was too busy smoking to eat. Though, he was getting hungry. Rachelle looked a little bit tired, too. He headed off toward the snack machines.  
  
"Okay, Rachelle. If you have to go to the bathroom, go ahead. I'm going to get us something to eat." With that, Rachelle headed towards the women's bathroom. Tyler watched Rachelle walk on, and went to the snack machines. There was no sign of monsters anywhere, until he heard a lurching noise, and a guttural growl. He looked behind him just in time to see a decaying, dead security card reaching out to scratch him. Tyler cocked his shotgun, and blasted a round into the guard's head. The guard twitched for a few moments, then finally lay limp. Tyler distanced himself from the snack machine, and kicked in the glass. Of all the things the monsters could have broken, they didn't break the snack machine. Of course, he thought to himself. They were only interested in eating humans, not Snickers and stale potato chips. Tyler grabbed a few candy bars for himself and Rachelle. Suddenly, he heard a loud scream. Just as Tyler had feared, it had come from the bathroom. 


	5. Creature Feature

As soon as Rachelle finished doing her business, she had begun to hear horrible shuffling noises. She knew that only one thing in the world made such hideous noises, and that they were the living dead. But this sounded bigger, more threatening. Rachelle backed up in the corner of the stall, closing her eyes, hoping that it was just her imagination. Tyler said he wouldn't let anything happen to her, and she had believed him. If there had been any monsters out there, Tyler would have kicked their behinds for her. Unfortunately, Tyler had been just a little too late for this one. The thing that peeled the stall door from its hinges was unlike anything Rachelle had ever glimpsed in her short life. She hadn't even seen creatures like this in horror movies, on the rare occasions she was allowed to watch them. The mass standing in front of her was just that; a large, almost unidentifiable mass of human body parts and tentacles, and the entire body was free of hair. The head was ghastly, with one eye missing, and the other at least twice the size of a normal human eye. The creature had no nose, but you could tell that perhaps once it had a nose. The mouth was gnarled, and the teeth looked to be sharper than any blade Rachelle had ever seen. There was a mangled arm, and misplaced fingers were any normal arms and appendages should have been. Rachelle had never even seen anything like this in her nightmares. Suddenly, the creature lashed out at her using one of his large tentacles. That's when Rachelle noticed the large blade on the end of it. She screamed then, and ducked, running out of the stall as fast as she could. She hid underneath the sink, and screamed bloody murder. She knew it would only be a matter of seconds before the creature would begin to hit the sinks in hopes that they would crush her. 


	6. Harm's Way

            When Tyler heard Rachelle screaming, his blood curdled.   He took off toward the lavatories as fast as he could, shotgun in hand.  His heart was racing, and all he could think about was the possibility that someone he had come to care for would be hurt.  What he saw when he opened the bathroom door was worse than anything he could have ever dreamed of or even imagined.  His eyes then darted to Rachelle's hiding place under the sink.  The thing was lurching toward her, claws and tentacles outstretched.  Tyler did the only thing he could think of, hoping to deter the monster's attention from Rachelle.  

            "Hey, you big ugly bastard!  Over here!" He said, as he shot one of the monster's tentacles.  The creature growled in pain and began to go for Tyler.  Rachelle climbed out from underneath the sink as soon as the thing's back was turned, running out of the bathroom as quickly as she could.  She was terrified, and didn't want to leave Tyler alone, but she also knew that he would never have had it any other way.  She waited outside anxiously, picking up a piece of broken glass from the snack machine in case anything else came out.

            Tyler kept firing off rounds, wondering how long this thing would live, and how long his shotgun would hold out.  The more he shot, the more pissed off the creature got.  Of course, what did he expect to do?  Slink off with its tail tucked between its legs?  Not bloody likely.  Tyler was terrified, but he just kept shooting, backing up, as the monster would get closer.  He hoped that Rachelle was all right, that she hadn't been hurt.  She had seemed fine, just a little shaken up.  Tyler was getting more and more anxious to get out of this city every second.  

            The thing was coming right toward Tyler right now, getting closer.  Tyler had reached his last bullet.


	7. Up Up And Away

            Rachelle knew that it was important not to panic, but in these circumstances, it was getting harder and harder to keep her cool.  Tyler had just reached his last bullet and time was running out fast.  Rachelle knew that if they kept standing around, they were going to get killed.  Right as the monster reached out for Tyler, Rachelle tried to pull him back.  But it was much too late.  The monster already had Tyler in his grip, and was growling into his face.  All Tyler could do was stand in the creature's embrace, breathless.  Rachelle let a harsh war cry escape from her lips before leaping at the monster with her shard of glass, severing one of it's many tentacles.  She began to hack and slash at the creature's tentacles skillfully.  

            Tyler managed to slip from its grasp when the greater amount of tentacles had been sliced and severed.  He hit it over the head forcefully with his shotgun, and then backed up against the wall.  Rachelle could see that he was clearly very frightened, perhaps even more so than she was.  "Tyler, are you alright?"  Another moment of silence passed.  "Tyler, talk to me.  Say something!  Say anything!  We have to get out of here right now, before something else comes after us.  You can stay here and become a tasty meal for whatever else this place is hiding, or you can come with me right now, and we can get out of here.  Make up your mind fast, though, because I'm not going to wait."  As Rachelle finished, Tyler's hand was already in her own.  

            Rachelle began to high tail it, hand-in-hand with Tyler.  She wasn't going to wait around and see if the thing was really dead, or if there was more in store for them.  She turned to Tyler, her eyes meeting his.  "We can either go up, or down.  I have a feeling that we don't want to know what they're keeping downstairs.  But if we go upstairs, there's a chance that we may be trapped.  Help me out here, would you?"  Tyler bit his lip and nodded to the stairwell.  Up they went.


End file.
